Enhancing Gaming Performance: Installing & Testing AMDGPU-Pro Drivers on Ubuntu 16.04

Enhancing Gaming Performance: Installing & Testing AMDGPU-Pro Drivers on Ubuntu 16.04

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Installing the Asus rx460 GPU
3. Troubleshooting the Driver Issues
4. testing Rust on the AMD GPU Pro driver
5. Performance Comparison with Nvidia 750 Ti
6. Trying Ballistic Overkill on the rx460
7. Experimenting with Skyrim on Wine
8. Gaming Performance in VMware
9. Pros and Cons of the AMD GPU Pro driver
10. Conclusion

Installing and Testing the Asus rx460 GPU with the AMD GPU Pro Driver

The holiday season brought an exciting purchase for me - the Asus rx460 GPU. Priced at around $100, I couldn't wait to see how it would perform with the new AMD GPU Pro drivers. In a previous attempt with my amd10 7850 APU, the experience was far from successful. But this time, with the anticipation of better results, I decided to give it another go. The first step was to purge my system of the NVIDIA drivers which had been working well with my 750 Ti. After uninstalling the drivers and running auto remove, I shut down my computer and installed the new graphics card. However, upon booting up, I was met with distorted resolution and a missing GPU. Not an ideal start.

Determined to find a solution, I checked the lspci command to verify if the rx460 was detected. Fortunately, it seemed to be recognized, although the specific VGA identifier was ambiguous. Without any evidence of the video card being dead, I proceeded with the driver installation. Following the same process as before, I extracted the driver Archive from the AMD site and ran the built-in installer. Once the installation completed, I added my user to the video group and rebooted the system. Finally, I made it to the login screen at 1080p, a positive sign of progress compared to the previous attempt with the APU.

Logging in, I encountered the moment of truth - would the system hang or would everything fall into place? To my surprise and relief, it worked! The rx460 graphics were detected. Excited to test its performance, I turned to Steam and decided to start with Rust, a Game known for its mixed results on Linux. As the game loaded, I noticed a blue hue in the graphics, but I couldn't tell if it was intentional or a rendering issue. To gauge the performance, I enabled the frames per Second (FPS) indicator and was pleasantly surprised. The game ran at around 30 FPS, which, while not exceptional, was acceptable. It seemed to perform on par with my Nvidia 750 Ti, contrary to the benchmarks I had seen favoring the rx460. The AMD GPU Pro driver still had some catching up to do to achieve parity with Nvidia in terms of driver optimization.

Eager to try out another game, my next choice was Ballistic Overkill. With no prior experience playing this game, I was curious to see how it would perform on the rx460. To my delight, the game ran fantastically with over 100 frames per second. Even with the graphics settings set to default, the smooth gameplay impressed me. However, I did encounter an issue with players camping in their starter areas, which significantly impacted the overall gameplay experience. It would be advisable for the developers to address this issue to prevent such gameplay disruptions.

Next on my list was testing Skyrim on Wine. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the Steam overlay working for this game, but the graphics settings appeared to be on high or ultra. The frame rates averaged around 20-30 FPS, which was slightly lower than what I expected. However, it's worth noting that this was the regular Skyrim version, not the special edition. I wondered how players on Windows with an rx460 would fare in terms of frame rates and whether they achieved a consistent 60 FPS on higher settings.

Lastly, I explored the performance of the rx460 in a virtual machine (VMware) environment. The AMD GPU Pro driver was actually blacklisted in VMware, which meant I had to modify the vmx file to allow blacklisted video drivers. Despite this hindrance, the performance surprised me once again. The frame rates in Paladins, a game played with real players, were smoother than before. With the steam overlay showing approximately 30 FPS, the gameplay experienced minimal stuttering. It's important to consider that VMware explicitly states that it does not support this driver, making the performance even more impressive.

In conclusion, the overall performance of the rx460 with the AMD GPU Pro driver was slightly below my expectations when compared to the Nvidia 750 Ti. However, the driver showed promise and is continually improving with each update. AMD still has some ground to cover before achieving complete parity with Nvidia, especially in terms of driver optimization. Nonetheless, my gaming experience on Linux with the rx460 was generally satisfactory, and I look forward to further enhancements in the future.

Pros:

• Affordable price at around $100.
• Support for the Asus rx460 GPU.
• Continued driver updates for improved performance.
• Smooth gameplay in Ballistic Overkill and Paladins.

Cons:

• Initial driver installation issues and resolution problems.
• Lower performance compared to Nvidia 750 Ti.
• Graphics glitches in Rust and Skyrim.
• Unofficial support for AMD APUs.

Highlights:

• The Asus rx460 GPU priced at around $100 offers potential for strong performance on Linux.
• Initial driver installation may pose challenges, but once resolved, the rx460 can provide satisfactory gaming experiences.
• The AMD GPU Pro driver still lags behind Nvidia in terms of optimization, but regular updates offer hope for future improvements.
• Games like Ballistic Overkill and Paladins showcased the rx460's capabilities, while Rust and Skyrim presented slight graphical glitches.
• VMware performance showed promise, surpassing expectations despite the blacklisted driver.

FAQ:

Q: Can I use the AMD GPU Pro driver with other AMD graphics cards? A: Yes, the AMD GPU Pro driver supports a range of AMD GPUs, including the rx460.

Q: Are there any specific system requirements for installing the AMD GPU Pro driver? A: Yes, please refer to the official system requirements provided by AMD to ensure compatibility.

Q: Are there alternative drivers available for the Asus rx460? A: Yes, apart from the AMD GPU Pro driver, you can also explore open-source drivers like Mesa for AMD GPUs.

Q: Will the performance of the rx460 improve further with future driver updates? A: Yes, AMD is actively working on optimizing their drivers, so improvements can be expected with subsequent updates.

Q: Can the rx460 handle higher-end games on Linux? A: While the rx460 is capable of running some higher-end games on Linux, it may not achieve the same level of performance as more powerful GPUs.

Q: How does the rx460 compare to Nvidia GPUs in terms of price-performance ratio? A: The rx460 offers competitive performance for its price range, but Nvidia GPUs like the 750 Ti may still provide better performance in some cases.

Q: Can the rx460 be used for content creation or other GPU-intensive tasks? A: While the rx460 can handle light content creation tasks, it may not be suitable for intensive workloads. Consider higher-end GPUs for professional use.

Q: Are there any known issues with the AMD GPU Pro driver for the rx460? A: The AMD GPU Pro driver may have occasional compatibility issues with certain games or applications, so it's recommended to stay updated with driver releases.

Q: How does the rx460 perform compared to previous generation AMD GPUs? A: The rx460 offers improved performance compared to previous generation AMD GPUs, particularly in terms of power efficiency and driver support.

Q: Can the rx460 be overclocked for better performance? A: Yes, the rx460 can be overclocked to some extent using software utilities, but be cautious and ensure proper cooling to prevent overheating.

Resources:

• AMD Official Website
• Nvidia Official Website